Recently I've discovered the joy of CRPGs, having previously only dabbled in them without spending any significant time on the genre.
With Baldur's Gate 2 just around the corner, which I'm sure many of us are hyped for, I wanted to try a similar CRPG to get a feel for whether I'm going to want to play it. Enter DOS2; this game is made by Larian Studios, the same studio making BG2, and is an absolutely incredible game.
From the graphics, which are stunning even 6 years on from release, to the combat which makes you think about your moves in a manner similar to how you might do in a game like chess, and best of all stories which are for the most part genuinely interesting. I frequently found myself surprised at events / characters / quests I found throughout the world, even small things like hearing someone screaming nearby then discovering they had been torn to pieces by voidwoken.
I recently just finished Act I and just started Act II but wanted to share a bit of love for this game as it is an absolute masterpiece with a well deserved 95% positive rating with 144k reviews on steam.
Please share your experience with DOS2 and whether or not you have fully completed the game!
DoS2 is a truly outstanding RPG - many CRPG nerds say the best ever - but that is ofc only after getting into the game. Unlike most games that are developed today. DoS2 is not at all a casual game, on the contrary, it´s pretty complex and to make it worse for new players, the game also does not explain much. The consequence is a relatively high threshold to get into the game and an extremely steep learning curve, that can be truly overwhelming for new players, especially those who are not familiar with "hardcore" CRPGs - like me before playing DoS2.
The fact that you could not finish act 1 simply means that you didn't get over the threshold to get into the game, otherwise finishing act 1 would not have been a problem. It took me 2-3 attempts to finish act 1, because there was still so much to learn after the first try. What I mean is that you are missing out on one of the greatest RPGs of all times and that you should consider giving yourself another chance to actually get into the game. I very much recommend using guides, at least on your first playthrough.
To not gimp your chars, use class guides by this guy (DON`T use fextralife builds!) https://steamcommunity.com/id/teesinz/myworkshopfiles/?section=guides&appid=435150&p=2
The one big weakness of Dos2 is the dysfunktional quest journal, it regularly leaves the player without any information about where o go next. To not get lost, simply use this quests by character levels guide (thank you Lost Sinner, you are amazing <3) https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1139237003
I highly recommend using a two person party and giving both the lone wolf talent on your first run. It is significantly easier to learn (and beat) the game this way than with a full four person party.
Another key factor for a successful first play through of DoS2 is to not split your damage imo. This might be counterintuitive but the dual armor system in DoS2 heavily rewards parties that deal only physical or only elemental damage. I recommend a phys dam only party for the first playthrough.
tldr: Yes, the game has a high threshold to get into - that is naturally the case because it is a deep and complex game - it is very much worth to get into - don´t make yourself miss out on it.
I didn't say we were bad at it mate, I said we didn't like it. A game shouldn't have a "threshold" to get into it. It should just be fun. We stopped playing because it wasn't fun.
Each to their own, fun is different things for different people. Naturally every game has a certain threshold to get into. The more complex a game is, the higher that threshold becomes. Some games have a threshold that is so low you wont even notice it. Enjoy what you like best and glhf mate!
I mean, you did say you hated it and "didn't get the praise". I don't know how else to interpret that than calling it bad.
But also, I disagree that games shouldn't need a threshold to get into them. Some games simply have depth that can't be instantly expressed as soon as you start playing.